Opinion: Obama Takes Putin at His Word

Editorial board member Matt Kaminski on Obama’s assessment of the Russian strongman, and criticism of the President’s strategy. Photo: Associated Press

This transcript has been automatically generated and may not be 100% accurate.

... I ... I ... I ... well ... if you take him at his work ... that and you are well ... on this ... I think it's been willing to show ... ay ay ... a deeply ... held grievance about what he considers to be a lot so this'll be there ... welcome back to Opinion Journal I'm Mary Kissel ... president Obama says we can take ... Vladimir Putin at his word ... can we really in what is it mean then that Russia is massing ... tens of thousands of troops at the eastern border of Ukraine I've got editorial board member Matt Kaminski joining me now Mac ... on Monday and seems to trust couldn't despite its ... rating on these red lines so we sat in the last couple weeks ... but it was the commander genes but so much time as a psycho analyze a k ... a foreign leader and ... also that the same time expressing a visa was over a grand this abrasive you um ... good idea is you know we do we all want interaction going to be respected ... we all want to live in the twenty first century world of ... email open borders initial respected by that ... but you know ... but it has a very different notion of of reality ... and he is imposing his reality around us and we are far too slow to react to the EU interpret these tens of thousands of troops massing of the board ... I can to resume reviewed due to the prison's basically they're afraid ... that the recruitment moving I mean and especially last few days ... dark for more troops there that you would ever need for any of the exercises ... more portly can only keep those troops are ... only so long because they are being deployed away from homes away from their basis ... so I think he will either move very soon or is gonna push that I mean ... having the troops are two was a way to pressure the Ukrainians ... notice what what what what the is not only in the north in the East ... it's also in itself down for me it's it's a kind of military beachhead ... Hereford report their commanders being sent in about almost a thousand ... into a trend in East realism is in the region of Moldova ... in the southwest corner of Ukraine in the ... vaccine is I haven't heard that anywhere else in that ... there been a lot of questions raised about why Clinton is doing this ... his Connelly some writes of former US Secretary State national security advisor to Bush had to say and I quote ... is a vacuum because they decided to lower our boys we decided to step back ... we decided if we step back and Laura please others will be the other things will fill that vacuum ... when America stepped back in there is a vacuum trouble will fill that vacuum ... snappy response ... what ... will his letter includes the meal ... I am I think ... people should understand that the most is not really the trip and asserting his view of Russian natural trips and ultimately this is really about regime survival ... in Russia ... for a very small group of guys who become fabulously wealthy over the last fifteen years ... what a protect what they got ... he's also as a very weak economy at home ... and what happened in Kiev to die which like she resembles him alive ... a ... in a corrupt authoritarian ... two when he was toppled ... that ever on his body produces Russia's worst nightmare ... and he cannot allow all can leave his ultimate goal is not to allow Ukraine ... to become the Russian speaking for him portly ... democracy which will become an alternative model for Russia itself ... how many times I it's a scary situation really keep a close eye on it